SÓNAR PREVAILS
MUSIC FESTIVAL
SÓnar 2025 Closes with Powerful Resonance Despite Controversy
Sónar Village. Photo: Pablo Herrera (TMN).
Sonar Festival 2025 has come to an end, and this year it carried a deeper meaning than ever before. Despite calls for boycotts and a storm of online noise, the festival didn’t just go on—it stood firm. More than 120,000 attendees came together, generating an economic impact estimated at over 60 million euros. Those numbers tell part of the story, but what truly matters is the festival’s decision to move forward despite the pressure.
Sónar 2025 closed with a powerful message: even in challenging times, culture, innovation, and community remain resilient. Confronted by controversy and public calls to boycott, the festival pressed on—and flourished.
This edition of Sónar was marked by conflict and division. We’re living in a time where everything has to be black or white, where there's no room for the grey in between. A time when social media drives the car and the loudest voices get to decide what’s right or wrong. If the noise says “don’t do it,” most don’t. But when things get hard, that’s when you get to see who really believes in what they’re building. And Sónar showed that commitment.
For us at Teens Media Network, this was our second year bringing young creators—some just 19—to the festival to learn and practice journalism in real time. Sónar listened to us again this year. They said, “Come. Be here. Show us what you do.” That means something. We are not a media company just pushing content—we are an educational project. We’re here to help young people discover what they’re capable of, and it matters when doors like this open.
Sónar by Night. Saturday erupted with raw energy as Nathy Peluso took command of the stage. Photo: Pablo Herrera (TMN).
Of course, things aren’t perfect. But the truth is, ignorance is more dangerous than the noise. We need spaces that still care about learning, culture, and innovation. Do you know how many events that started small are now run by faceless corporations that couldn’t care less about independent artists or ideas? And maybe that’s not even the main problem—as long as we’re aware that not everything is as bright as it looks. But for us, this opportunity was real. We brought youth, energy, and curiosity, and Sónar backed our mission, again.
Looking Ahead: A New Chapter
Next year, Sónar will undergo a big shift. Sónar by Day and Sónar+D will move from their long-time home in Plaza España to Fira 2, a change as big as when they left CCCB and MACBA more than a decade ago. That change brought more space, more people, more activity—and this new move might open up even more possibilities. We hope so.
Argentinian Six Sex took over the Sonarcar stage on Saturday night, mesmerizing the crowd with a hypnotic, high-voltage set that kept the energy pulsing until dawn. Photo: Pablo Herrera (TMN).
As someone who lived in Barcelona for 12 years, this city still feels like home. Even now, living in New York City, a part of me is here—with this place, these people, this creative energy. Sónar has always been a space where bold ideas can take shape. It’s not afraid to evolve, to try, to keep learning.
“It was a pleasure to be part of it again. Thank you, Sónar, for opening your doors and making room for what we do. We’ll carry it with us, and we hope to be back next year—growing, learning, and showing what the next generation can do.”
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